WHO BUYS FAST FORDS?
Who buys fast Fords? We do, of course – enthusiastic drivers who appreciate the performance and heritage that only a Blue Ovalbadged car can provide.
Only, until very recently, there’s also been another type of buyer. The sort who doesn’t care whether it’s got four wheels or brick walls, as long as it’s a place where money tends to grow.
Harry says, “Investors have completely gone, which is good news. It’s now an enthusiast’s market, and prices have realigned. There is still strong demand for quality cars but enthusiasts factor in everything on an individual basis, and they might place value on performance or usability.”
Although investors have bowed out, that’s not to say collectors are gone. Far from it, in fact.
Richard says, “Every collector we deal with has at least a couple of Fords – usually a Capri 2.8i or a Cosworth. Some have an RS1600i beside brand-new hypercars, and they still have an affiliation – a love – for the old Escort.
“We can park a Cosworth next to a Lamborghini, and people go straight to the fast Ford. Their dad didn’t have a supercar, but he did have a Sierra. Even if it was a basic Sierra, they had a relationship with the Sierra and lusted after the RS.”
As teenagers in 1986 they had posters of a three-doors on their bedroom walls alongside Page Three girls and Testarossas. Today they’d steer clear of Sam Fox, and the Cossie is a better drive than the prancing pony. It’s also eminently more achievable for an average man’s pocket; and now he can afford it, he’s damn well going to have it.
Yet anyone who’s scrimped to buy the car of their dreams can’t necessarily pay for its constant maintenance or take any chances with their investment. Chances such as driving the thing…
It’s exactly that ‘working man’s supercar’ link that causes aggro in the middle and lower ends of the market. Paul Linfoot states, “The trouble with Fords is they’re owned by blue-collar workers. If they’ve bought at £10,000 and it’s now worth £40,000 they sit on it. But even if prices drop they can afford to get out because they’re quids-in.
“Only cars at top of the tree will hold their value. They’re bought by wealthy collectors who aren’t affected by market crashes because they’re multi-millionaires.”
But is there enough supply to meet demand? Is there an endless stream of lottery winners lining up to sink cash into a Sierra? Richard thinks not: “One or two RS500s made very handsome money, then another appeared, and then another… The first few did good but if you want one you’ve probably got one already.”
The same, of course, applies to long-term owners. Sapphire devotee Paul Thatcher has seen values yo-yo during his 26-year custodianship; although he never envisaged keeping the car so long, it won’t be leaving his hands. “I’m not going to sell it,” he says. “It could be worth £5000 or £50,000 – value doesn’t matter to me.”